Australia’s top Muslim cleric vowed to retire from religion and tape his mouth for six months if an “ethical court” he proposed on Friday finds him guilty of inciting rape. The Mufti of Australia, Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali, made the unusual pledge as he came under intense pressure to resign over comments comparing scantily-clad women to “uncovered meat” inviting sexual attack. But he stopped short of stepping down from the post of mufti immediately, offering to go only if a better replacement can be found and invited the panel of imams that oversees the post to seek nominations for a new mufti.The controversial cleric called for an “ethical court” to be assembled to decide whether he was guilty of denigrating women or inciting rape in a sermon that caused a divisive national religious row. If the court ruled against him, Hilali said in a statement he would withdraw from religious activity and “place masking tape on his mouth in public for a period of six months” to “discipline” the offending feature. The cleric said he would also carry out 600 hours of community service for a women’s cause as punishment if he is found guilty. The “court,” that he stipulated must be made up of an impartial judge, two lawyers and two interpreters, should listen to the sermon he gave at Sydney’s Lakemba mosque before making up their minds.